UPDATE: Bears RB D’Andre Swift says he’ll play in Week 7 versus the Saints.
The Bears got a big win on Monday over the Commanders, but one of the stars in their comeback could be missing when they take on the Saints in Week 7. D’Andre Swift had a huge game on MNF but is now dealing with an injury and is officially listed as questionable. If he’s eventually sidelined or limited, rookie Kyle Monangai could step into a huge role in the offense and become an outstanding value play for fantasy football.
Let’s break down the latest info on Swift’s injury and the outlook for Monangai if Swift is sidelined.
D’Andre Swift Injury Update
Swift looked great on Monday, posting a season-high 28.5 fantasy points coming out of the bye week, with 14 carries for 108 rushing yards, and two catches for 67 yards and a touchdown. It was his first receiving score of the year and his first game with 100 yards rushing.
After a full, normal practice on Wednesday, Swift was downgraded to limited due to a groin injury on Thursday.
On Friday, head coach Ben Johnson was very non-committal on if Swift would play in Week 7, and he was a little cagey as to exactly when and where the injury happened. This is the first time this season that Swift has been on the injury list with a groin issue, although Johnson did say that the injury did not happen in practice.
Kyle Monangai Season?
If Swift is out or limited, rookie Kyle Monangai would likely take on most of the workload against the Saints. He has played about 30% of snaps over the last few weeks, while Roshon Johnson has only played three snaps all year.
Monangai was a seventh-round pick out of Rutgers in last year’s draft and came into the league as a dual-threat, pass-blocking running back.
In his five games this season, Monangai has 81 rushing yards on 22 carries with a long of just 10 yards. He’s also caught four of his six targets for 48 yards, including as 25-yard reception on Monday that was the longest play of his career.
Monangai does have the potential to be a playmaker if he gets the opportunity this week. The Bears offense has proven it can produce points under new coach Ben Johnson and second-year QB Caleb Williams, and if Monangai starts against the Saints, he’ll be worth considering for fantasy this weekend.
The Bottom Line
The Saints did a good job limiting the Patriots running backs last week, but they have allowed five running back touchdowns in their six games this season, while surrendering 85.3 rushing yards and 28.3 receiving yards to the position. For season-long leagues, I’d slot Monangai in as a low-end RB2 if Swift is out, but he brings a solid floor as a top-20 option since he should get almost all the work.
For DFS contests like the NFL $2.75M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st], Monangai is only $4,700 and would have huge value upside if he’s the starter at the position. If you are looking for a cheap running back to save salary space for the rest of your roster, and Swift is out, Monangai would provide a very high ceiling.
